Darwin toilet book expected to sell for $100,000
by Stevie Smith - Nov 23 2009, 04:35
Not your average slice of toilet reading. Image: Collier, John Maier/Flickr.
Generally speaking, scanning for potential reading material while perching on someone else's porcelain throne leads to the perusal of tatty, dog-eared newsstand magazines, it rarely leads to the discovery of hugely valuable first edition books. However, rarely does not mean never.
More pointedly, famous auction house Christie's is selling an extremely rare original copy of Charles Darwin's influential 'On the Origin of Species', which played a pivotal role in establishing the scientific theory of evolution.
According to Christie's, the first edition was found lazing on a bookshelf in the guest bathroom of a family home in Oxford, England. In terms of its accompanying worth, the book is one of only 1,250 copies that were printed off back in 1859.
Darwin's work is scheduled to go under the hammer this coming Tuesday, a timely event that marks the 150th anniversary of the book's publication.
If you have the craving for a slice of history, and the necessary cash, then run along to Christie's – but be prepared to splash somewhere in the region of Ł60,000 GBP, which is the equivalent of some $99,000 USD.
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